Timothy Bradley plans to unveil newfound power vs. Jessie Vargas
Timothy Bradley doesn't want his fight against Jessie Vargas to go to the scorecards. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Paste BN Sports)
CARSON, Calif. - Timothy Bradley is one of the nicest guys in boxing, but on this day, he doesn't crack a smile. Not even once.
He's tired of being questioned after all he's accomplished, and tired of talk he's declined from wear and tear sustained during grueling matchups.
Bradley is more determined than ever to once again prove himself as one of the top fighters in the sport and plans to unveil some new tricks Saturday (9:45 p.m. ET, HBO) vs. Jessie Vargas in a WBO interim welterweight title bout from the StubHub Center.
"I want to have a fantastic performance. If I can eliminate the judges, by all means, that's what I'm going to try to do," Bradley told Paste BN Sports on Thursday. " … That's just how I feel from the Diego Chaves fight. I went back to the drawing board and talked it over with team, my trainers, and said 'we gotta make some changes.' Like somehow I gotta get some more power, I gotta generate more power, I gotta start hurting these guys, I gotta start getting these guys up out of here."
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Bradley (31-1-1, 12 KOs) fought to a controversial draw with Chaves in December, his last bout. It was a taxing affair marred by headbutts and left the former two-division champion with a giant knot over his left eye in a bout most observers felt Bradley clearly won. He believes all the work he's done with trainer Joel Diaz will produce results. The 31-year-old says he won't get reckless, though, in his effort to put Vargas to sleep.
"(The improved power) will show up, no doubt in my mind. It will show up on fight night," Bradley, who is managed by his wife Monica, insisted. "When you start studying sports and how to generate power, it's generated from the ground up … It's all a rotational (move), it's all about balance, it's about timing and technique. We're throwing a better punch now, a lot better punch."
The Palm Springs, Calif.-based fighter was once a staple of respected pound-for-pound lists, and further cemented his legacy with a 2013 win over Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez. But he followed that up with a comprehensive decision loss to Pacquiao and hasn't tasted victory in almost two years.
"I'm at a point where I really want to win this fight and I'm very focused," Bradley declared. " … I need a belt, I need a strap. I don't have one. I gotta get it. So I'm focused, I'm fired up. I didn't take Jessie lightly, I trained extremely hard for Jessie, probably harder than I have in my whole life."
That training included the return of 16-pound sledgehammer exercises, another tool designed to add power to his repertoire, dedicated use of medicine balls and pool workouts. Bradley also ditched his usual vegan training camp diet for the second consecutive bout (he began the practice in 2008), and the 5-foot-6 fighter has clearly bulked up from all the steak and fish he consumed in preparation.
The father of five says he has "the skill to go up" in weight, and has lobbied for contests against Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto, the kind of wins he says could insure he enters the Hall of Fame when he steps away from the game. Bradley also called out middleweight destroyer Gennady Golovkin and feels he could last six rounds with heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko if he had to. A knockout of Vargas would prove to the public he has the ability to move up to 154 and still be a top operator.
"His power has increased a lot," Diaz said. "We made a lot of changes with just the motion of his punches, rotation. I cut down a little bit on his speed, he has natural speed, so instead of throwing 10 punches I'm having him throw six, but very solid ones. His timing is right on the money, he's keeping his eye on the target and he's really throwing punches with devastating power."
Saturday's contest was originally slated to crown a new WBO champion, but Mayweather says he might now keep the belt he won from Pacquiao, so the interim strap will be on the line. The interim champion will be elevated to regular status if Mayweather decides to vacate the belt (which is likely), and he has until July 3 to make a choice.
Vargas (26-0, 9 KOs) held a title at 140 pounds but is moving up for the opportunity against Bradley. The 26-year-old made two successful defenses of the WBA belt he won from Khabib Allakhverdiev in April 2014, a career-best victory. It's a quantum leap in competition, but Vargas has a lot of height on Bradley and is being taught the Mexican style by trainer Erik Morales.
"Tough, young, hungry. It's not going to be an easy task," Bradley stated. "I know he's ready. I've been in the same position he's been in. He's coming in the lion's den now, he's leaving the little puppies, now he's moving up and fighting a real fighter.
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"I'm that real fighter. I made a name for myself in the sport by fighting the best. Now it's Jessie's turn to see if he can beat the best. And it's my time to show the world and prove to myself that I'm still one of the top fighters in the game."
Bradley says he's seen the newfound punching power during sparring sessions but acknowledged that it won't be easy to prove it's real against a man with a good chin. "Desert Storm," though, says he hasn't wanted to win a fight this badly since his breakout win over Junior Witter in 2008, a victory that netted him his first world title.
He returns Saturday to StubHub Center, the West Coast fight cathedral that consistently produces great action fights and was the scene of Bradley's 2013 Fight of the Year vs. Ruslan Provodnikov. Bradley took a bad beating in that bout, said he blacked out during the matchup from concussions and admitted he still has "horrific memories" from that night. This weekend he'll have an opportunity to create new, happier memories.
"I don't want this fight to go to a decision. I don't," he said. " … I want him to feel me."